NBA Rumors: Phoenix Suns promise T.J. Warren they will select him

Mar 19, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack forward T.J. Warren (24) shoots during practice before the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack forward T.J. Warren (24) shoots during practice before the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Phoenix Suns have told North Carolina State forward T.J. Warren they will select him in the first-round of tonight’s NBA Draft, according to Yahoo Sports’ Marc. J. Spears.

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Spears doesn’t specify exactly where Phoenix has promised to take the 6’8″ forward (they have three first-round picks), but he has the Suns scooping up Warren at No. 18 in his latest mock draft, and also writes:

"T.J. Warren, North Carolina State, SF, 6-8, 220, So. – He surprisingly got invited to the green room, and a source said Phoenix gave him a promise."

Warren was one of the premier stat-sheet stuffers in college basketball last season, as he averaged an impressive 24.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

While Warren does an outstanding job of getting to the rim and finishing, he’s not an elite outside shooter, converting just 26.7 percent of his attempts beyond the arc in his final season as a member of the wolf pack.

That would seem to be a bit of a problem for Phoenix, given they run an offense predicated on shooting threes (ranked 4th in three-point attempts in 2013-14) and mostly avoiding two-point shots (ranked 25th in two-point attempts in 2013-14).

Still, the Suns could use some help at the small forward position and Warren figures to be able to contribute immediately.

Also, players with Warren’s raw scoring ability don’t come around too often and that simply might be too much for Jeff Hornacek’s squad to pass up on.

Draft Express ranks Warren as the 17th best prospect in tonight’s NBA Draft.